Palm Beach County Florida alleges that ‘Florida Screen Builders (CBC1254009)’ committed fraud by altering plans.  If the allegations are true, up to 285 screen rooms could be impacted or up to code.  According to the Executive Director of Palm Beach County Building, Planning, and Zoning,  and  Rebecca Caldwell “some of the designs would’ve been less expensive to construct”.
Wow first of all, things like this are an unfortunate event for the industry.  I have worked with many contractors over the years and most have excellent intentions and the integrity to do things honestly.  I really hope the allegations are proven to be false.
Now, lets talk about what the county claims he did here.  The county requires screen enclosure permits to be submitted with plans.  The Aluminum Association of Florida issues a Guidebook with schematics, plans, and tables specifying approved construction methods for these plans.  One way of generating the plans required for the permit is by essentially citing which details for the Guidebook are applicable to enclosure that you are applying for the permit.  It appears this contractor was using approved plans from the guidebook and fraudulently modifying the plans.
What can you do to avoid this? Â Look for a contractor that uses ‘site specific engineering’ or a third party engineering firm. Â When site specific engineering is used, the county usually requires raised seal plans which are more difficult to forge. Â The plans are also easier to read, so it is more likely the county will catch any deficiencies.